Jones' success could be the reason why we cut D.J. Smith, who played relatively well for us. He started as a rookie but lost almost all playing time (who knows why). And now he's a starter again. One of the more unconventional scenarios for a player in the NFL.

I appreciate sites like PFF, but they should reconsider their series on "secret superstars" if they're including Brad Jones. How about "Players who played better than you thought"? Doesn't have the same ring but its closer to reality in Jones' case. I know some Packers fans have very low opinions of Jones but I think the truth lies somewhere between that and "secret superstar". Certainly the Packers are closer to PFF's evaluation than those Packers fans.

BTW, if it's true Bishop was on the trading block, do they know something about his injury situation we don't or is there another reason they no longer like him? Of Hawk, Jones and Bishop I'd expect Bishop to make the biggest impact and I'm not sure why they apparently don't agree. And if they were trying to peddle Bishop, why waive Smith? (I'm optimistic about Manning but he's done nothing so far.) As I posted previously, I don't think the ILBs have to be better than they were last season for the D to take another step in the right direction this season (better DL, better pass rush, better safety play, and perhaps even better CB play will take care of that), but I am shaking my head a bit on their moves at ILB so far.

Secret Superstar is just a means for journalists to continue making predictions after the draft is complete. Jones is a good player. Agreeing with TJV, I think that Jones has shown flashes of his potential when he was healthy. The staff thinks highly enough to give him a new contract and position switch. The majority of the coaching staff's moves have worked out so they'll get the benefit of doubt from me.

Secret Superstar? One needs to play that way consistently, otherwise it's just a fancy title for underachievement.

PFF or any group of "experts" giving their opinions are always going to be better than what fans' opinions are on a given player because they have a better sense of what a given player's assignment was on a play. A team's coaching staff is an even better judge for the same reason.